undergraduate courses in international politics · study •format pa ge: 6 ... humanitarian...

Undergraduate courses in International Politics

BSc International PoliticsBSc International Politics and Sociology

The University for business and the professions

BSc International PoliticsUCAS Code: L240Entry Requirement: AABPage: 1

BSc International Politics and SociologyUCAS Code: LL23Entry Requirement: AABPage: 2

Course descriptions Page: 1

Module descriptions Page: 3

Study format Page: 6

Reading list Page: 7

Career paths Page: 8

Academic profiles Page: 10

Application procedures Page: 12

Why choose City University London Page: 14

City University London Undergraduate Courses in International Politics page 1

The degree in International Politics at City is significantly different from the traditionalInternational Relations degrees in the followingways: we focus on contemporary global issues; you study international organisations as policy-making structures in each year of the degree; we cover not just the diplomatic relations betweengovernments, but also the economic, social andpolitical relations between societies undertaken by companies and private groups; you will engage in theoretical debate about how we canunderstand global politics in today’s world.

International Politics does not just mean knowing aboutother countries, but studying politics at the level of theglobal system, which influences all governments and all societies. The skills of International Politics graduates are of direct relevance to all those who need to know how their organisations fit into the world as a whole. This includes not just governments and intergovernmentalorganisations such as the United Nations, but alsointernational non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and multi-national companies.

Detailed course and module descriptions

BSc International PoliticsUCAS CODE: L240ENTRY REQUIREMENT: AAB2012-13 FEESUK/EU FEES: £9,000INTERNATIONAL FEES: £9,500*

YEAR 1Core modules:• Actors in global politics• Contemporary issues in global

politics – 20th and 21st century (see p4 for more detail)

• Theories of global politics.

Elective modules:• Contemporary issues in

media studies• History and theory of psychology• Introduction to microeconomics

and macroeconomics• Introduction to sociology• Media, history and politics• Understanding the modern world.

YEAR 2Core modules:• Change and transformation in global

politics (see p5 for more detail)• Theories and research in global

politics (see p4 for more detail).

International Politics elective modules:• Global conflict and security• International political economy• Political change in Europe• Religion in global politics• Transnational, social movements.

Sociology elective modules:• Identities and personal relationships• Interpreting news and documentary• New media challenges• Race and ethnicity in Britain• Television and sport• Understanding social change.

YEAR 3Core modules:• Global Governance

(see p5 for more detail)• International politics project

(see p5 for more detail).

International Politics elective modules:• American foreign policy• International politics of the

Middle East• The global politics of development• Political displacement.

Sociology elective modules:• Gender and society• Global migration process• Media, conflict and terrorism• Social movements and political action• Sociology of human rights• Sociology of the margins• Transnational communication

in Europe.

*International fees listed are for 2011/12. Fees for2012/13 will be listed on our website in due course.


Core First Year Modules for both degrees

THEORIES OF GLOBAL POLITICS This module raises the theoreticalquestions that underpin understandingand analysis of international politics.The first part of this module establishesa basic understanding of what politicsis and how it is studied, and sets up thedebates surrounding the politicalconcepts of power, freedom, democracy,justice, gender, and the State.

ACTORS IN GLOBAL POLITICS The aim of this module is to introduceyou to a range of actors that can befound in global politics – such as theUnited Nations, the World TradeOrganisation and non-governmentalorganisations – that will form the basisof your conceptual and empirical studyof international politics. At the basis ofthis course are questions as to whatconstitutes a political actor, how poweris organised, and what “agency” is within international politics.

Core First Year Modules BSc International Politics and Sociology

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY This module provides a broadintroduction to some of the main areasof research and debate in contemporarysociology. It does not presuppose anyprevious knowledge of sociology.

UNDERSTANDING THE MODERN WORLD This module explores social changesthat have occurred in the period knownas ‘Modernity’ through the lenses ofsocial institutions (family, religion, the market) and social cleavages (gender, class, ethnicity etc).

Module descriptions


This joint degree combines the main core modules from both Sociology and International Politics.

International Politics at City includes not justintergovernmental relations, but also inter-society relationsof non-governmental organisations (such as the Red Crossand Amnesty International) and transnational corporations(such as Ford, Shell and Microsoft) in its work. You will gain a unique approach to each subject and a broadunderstanding of local, national and global social relations.As with the single honours degree in International Politics,the joint degree is of direct relevance to all those who need to know how their organisations fit into the world as a whole and the role of social forces in governing them.

YEAR 1Core modules:• Actors in global politics

(see p3 for more detail)• Introduction to sociology

(see p3 for more detail)• Theories of global politics

(see p3 for more detail)• Understanding the modern world


YEAR 2Core modules:• Sociological research methods

(see p4 for more detail)• Theories and research in global

politics (see p4 for more detail).

International Politics elective modules:• Change and transformation in

global politics• Global conflict and security• International political economy• Political change in Europe• Religion in global politics• Transnational social movements.

Sociology elective modules:• Identities and personal relationships• Interpreting news and documentary• New media challenges• Race and ethnicity in Britain• Television and sport• Understanding social change.

YEAR 3Core modules:• International politics project


International Politics elective modules:• American foreign policy• Global Governance• International politics

of the Middle East• Political displacement• The global politics of development.

Sociology elective modules:• Gender and society• Global migration processes• Media, conflict and terrorism• Social movements and political action• Sociology of human rights• Sociology of margins• Transnational communication

in Europe.

Detailed course and module descriptions (cont.)

BSc International Politics and Sociology

UCAS CODE: LL23ENTRY REQUIREMENT: AAB2012-13 FEESUK/EU FEES: £9,000INTERNATIONAL FEES: £9,500* Please note module

availability maychange slightly from year to year.

*International fees listed are for 2011/12. Fees for 2012/13 will be listed on our website in due course.


Core Second Year Module for BSc International Politics

CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION IN GLOBAL POLITICS This module examines the issue oftransformation in international politics. You will discuss the origins of the Westphalian system and thetransformations in the state and globalpolitics associated with capitalism,nationalism and revolution. You willexplore two different forms of politicalauthority – empire and hegemony –ending with the emergence of Americanhegemony after World War Two. You willthen focus on contemporary processes oftransformation in three areas: the globaleconomy, identity and cosmopolitanism,encompassing the emergence of humanrights, humanitarian intervention andcosmopolitan democracy.

Core Third Year Module for both degrees

A SUPERVISED PROJECT This module aims to expand yourknowledge on subject-specific researchmethods in International Politicsgained from your first and second years and to encourage methodologicalapplication and focus on your thirdyear projects.

Core Third Year Module for BSc International Politics

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE You will examine the problems andpossibilities of governing issues and process in global politics. In the first term we map the emergence of international organisations andinstruments (international regimes and international law) involved in

governing global life, and theoreticaldebates of how we can explain andunderstand global governance. You will consider the relationship betweenprocesses of globalisation andregionalisation, as well as the function of global civil society in addressing thedemocratic and representation concernsof global governance. In the second termthese issues are pursued through a seriesof case studies – HIV/AIDS, corruption,internal displacement, and the Rwandagenocide – which examine the origins,operations, practice, and effectiveness of attempts at global governance.


Core First Year Module for BSc International Politics

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN GLOBALPOLITICS – 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY These modules introduce you to majordevelopments in international politicsduring the 20th and 21st century. It begins by providing an overview of approaches to studying historicaldevelopments in international politics.We then guide you through major 20th and 21st century developments,including the origins of two WorldWars, the Cold War, decolonisation,conflict in the Middle East, and the evolution of globalisation. We will emphasise that each of thesedevelopments involve politics withincountries, between countries and at the transnational level. In each case, a state-centric strategic analysis will be compared with analysis of a diversity of actors and issues.

Core Second Year Module for both degrees

THEORIES AND RESEARCH IN GLOBAL POLITICS This module looks at what theory is for in the study of global politics. It then reviews the contendingtheoretical approaches to globalpolitics, exploring their assumptionsand examining the ways in which they try to explain and understandinternational political life. You will also examine contemporaryinternational normative theory and explore the ‘metatheoretical’arguments that have been had inInternational Relations payingparticular attention to the question of how we might start to choosebetween these contending theories.

Core Second Year Module BSc International Politics and Sociology

SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODS This module provides a basic andpractical introduction to the waysin which sociologists collect andanalyse research evidence. It aims to enable you to critically appraise the reported results of social research;observe and enquire about the worldaround you more systematically; and select a method of research that you can use and take further in your third-year project.

Module descriptions (cont.)

Former International Politicsundergraduate student

TOP TIPView the staff as your friendsbecause in our department we are lucky to have manykind and generous people that are open to suggestions.


Samplereading list


HOW WILL I LEARN?We teach through a combination oflectures, interactive sessions, practicalworkshops and small group seminars,supported by a personal tutorialsystem. Lectures provide commentaryon and explanation of key contentareas. Small group seminars developyour understanding by inviting you to raise questions and participatein the debate and by providingguidance for further study.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?Assessment is by coursework (assessed essays and assignments),unseen examinations and your final year project.

DURATION: Full-time – three years.

Study format

MINGST, K AND ARREGUIN-TOFT, I.ESSENTIALS OF INTERNATIONALRELATIONS. (5TH EDITION).

EDKINS, J AND ZEHFUSS, M.GLOBAL POLITICS: A NEWINTRODUCTION. (EDS).

FRIEDEN, J., LAKE, D AND SCHUTZ, K.WORLD POLITICS: INTERESTS,INTERACTIONS AND INSTITUTIONS

HAY, COLIN.WHY WE HATE POLITICS

You will be sent a full reading list before you join.

Former International Politicsundergraduate student

TOP TIPI would recommend newstudents to actively pursuepart-time internships or part-time jobs alongside their degree as this stands you in better stead once you have graduated.

Find out more now atcity.ac.uk/intpol/ug

Phone enquiries+44 (0) 20 7040 8502

Email [email protected]

INDUCTION FOR NEW STUDENTS 17-21 SEPTEMBER 2012AUTUMN TERM 24 SEPTEMBER-7 DECEMBER 2012WINTER BREAK 10-28 DECEMBER 2012(ASSESSMENT PERIOD) (7-18 JANUARY 2013)SPRING TERM 31 DECEMBER 2012-22 MARCH 2013SPRING BREAK 25 MARCH-12 APRIL 2013(ASSESSMENT PERIOD) (15 APRIL-10 MAY 2013)

Provisional University term dates for 2012/13 – Please note dates may be subject to change and some courses have different term dates.


City University London Undergraduate Courses in International Politics page 9City University London Undergraduate Courses in International Politics page 8

81.8 per cent of City International Politicsgraduates (2010) were in employment or further study within six months of completing their course.

As a graduate of these two International Politics courses you would be suited to a wide range of career options, from the civil service, NGOs, journalism, teaching to international law, international organisations and the corporate sector.

A recent BSc graduate is moving toMalawi in a few months to work for a farming company running theirdevelopment strategy. She volunteeredwith them during her time at City and her research project was funded by them. She says her City tutors arethe reason she got the placement.

A recent BSc graduate went back to his home country, Palestine, aftercompleting his studies. One monthafter arriving in Palestine he was hiredas the Monitoring and EvaluationOfficer for the United States Agencyfor International Development (USAID) funded, AMIDEASTimplemented, Model Schools Network (MSN) Programme.

One of our third year BSc students is currently an intern in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cyprus.

Career paths

Here’s a sample of what some of our students are doing...Recent BSc graduate

City was an amazing place to study and grow and I amenvious of people starting thecourse now with more choicesand options than there were 3 years ago!

Examples of job titles 0f recent graduates:Manager, informal educator, company owner, market researcher,insolvency advisor,parliamentary campaigner,assistant headhunter

Recent employers include:Blackwood Group,Conservative Party,Department for Business, ESA Market Research, London Borough of Islington,Securemycontacts.com


DR TOM DAVIES LECTURER

Dr Davies joined the department in September 2007. His main research interests are transnational non-governmental politics and thecontemporary history of internationalrelations. His DPhil research wasawarded the 2006 British InternationalHistory Group Thesis Prize and his firstbook, The Possibilities of TransnationalActivism, was published in 2007. He iscurrently working on a variety of projectson the formation, evolution andrepresentativeness of international non-governmental organizations. Priorto joining City University London, Dr Davies was a junior research fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and alecturer at St Catherine’s and NewColleges in the University of Oxford.

DR GEMMA COLLANTES-CELADOR LECTURER

Dr Collantes-Celador (MSc LSE, PhDAberystwyth) joined the department inSeptember 2008. She was previously a postdoctoral research fellow at theBarcelona Institute for InternationalStudies (IBEI), Spain. Her mainresearch interests lie in the field of post-conflict peacebuilding,institutional regionalism withinexternally-assisted security sectorreform in failing and failed states,human security and the WesternBalkans. She is preparing a monographon the relationship between policereform and statebuilding processes in post-conflict scenarios. She haspreviously published in InternationalPeacekeeping, Crime, Law and SocialChange and Revista CIDOB d’AfersInternationals and has participated invarious edited volumes and projectswith the Swedish National DefenceCollege, Chr. Michelsen Institute,CIDOB Foundation, EuroMeSCo and the Human Security Study Group.


DR SOPHIE HARMANUNDERGRADUATE COURSEDIRECTOR

Dr Harman joined the department inSeptember 2008. Prior to this she was a research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Globalisation andRegionalisation (CSGR), University ofWarwick as part of the joint CSGR-UNDPGovernance of HIV/AIDS project. Dr Harman’s principle areas of academic interest are GlobalGovernance, the World Bank, HIV/AIDS, East Africa, and feministpolitical economy. She has publishedthree books, The World Bank andHIV/AIDS: Setting a Global Agenda(2010), Governance of HIV/AIDSResponse: Making Participation andAccountability Count (2009) and Global Health Governance (2011) and is currently working on two more:Governing the World? (with DavidWilliams) and The New PoliticalEconomy of Global Health. Her currentresearch focuses on conditional cashtransfers as a means of governingindividual behaviour and rationality.

DR DAVID WILLIAMSHEAD OF DEPARTMENT

Dr Williams joined the department in2006. Prior to this he was a lecturer in the Department of Politics andInternational Relations at OxfordUniversity. His main research interestsare in international development andglobal politics and liberal politicaltheory. His most recent book isInternational Development and GlobalPolitics: History, Theory and Practice. He has previously published The WorldBank and Social Transformation inInternational Politics: Liberalism,Governance and Sovereignty. He iscurrently working on Governing theWorld? (with Sophie Harman) and a project on liberal thought andinternational politics.

Academic profiles See the full list ofInternational Politicsacademic staff atcity.ac.uk/intpol/ug

Dr David Williams,Head of Department

TOP TIPKeep apace of contemporarypolitical developments byreading The Economist,Foreign Policy, OpenDemocracy and listening as much as possible to theBBC World Service or Radio 4’s The World Tonight at 10pm each week night.

Dr Sophie Harman, Undergraduate Course Director


ENTRY REQUIREMENTSA-Level grades: AAB340 UCAS tariff pointsIB: 35GCSE: Grade C or equivalentin English language andmaths or statistics.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:• Grade B in GCSE

(or International GCSE)• Cambridge ESOL CPE

grade C or above• IELTS 6.5• TOEFL (internet based):

100 – 105• TOEFL (computer based):

250• TOEFL (paper based):

600

HOW TO APPLYApplications to ourundergraduate courses open on mid-September andclose on the 15th January(30th June for internationalstudents). Late applicationsafter this date will still beconsidered at our discretion.

All applications to ourundergraduate degreecourses, including thosefrom mature students, mustbe made through UCAS. You can apply through your school or college using the UCAS online system ‘Apply’ which enables you to apply directly through the UCAS website(www.ucas.com).Independent applicantssuch as mature andinternational students can also use UCAS Apply.

The institution code for City University is C60, the UCAS course codes areprovided in the individualcourse descriptions withinthis brochure, as well aswithin the UCAS handbookand website.

If you are still at school or college when you make an application, staff there should be able to assist with this processoffering you help andadvice. If you are outside the UK when you make an application your local British Council Office should be able to provide assistance.

FOUNDATIONPROGRAMMES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTSFoundation programmesoffering guaranteed entryonto our InternationalPolitics degrees are offeredby our partners at:

• City and Islington College• INTO• Kaplan International

College

For more information onthese programmes, pleasesee our website or contactour undergraduateadmissions administrator:

• [email protected] • +44 (0) 207 040 8502

Application procedures




How to prepare for an International Politics degree at City University London...

Dr David Williams, Head of Department, offers the following advice to prospective International Politics students:“Before undertaking your studies in International Politics at City you would gain a head start by becoming lightly familiar with the internationalpolitics literature by dipping in to one or two of the classic texts and theorists: Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes or Rousseau; or trace liberal thought through Kant; and glance at the English School with Grotius; or tackle Marxist and postmodern approaches.

At the same time keep apace of contemporary political developments by reading The Economist, Foreign Policy, Open Democracy and listening as much as possible to the BBC World Service or Radio 4’s The World Tonight at 10pm each week night. Finally, download the prospectus and familiarise yourself with the interests of international politics staff and their publications.”




0.6milesdistance from City to the nearest NGO, Amnesty International

10thfor graduateemployability,according to the Times Good UniversityGuide (2011)

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCESCity University LondonNorthampton SquareLondon EC1V 0HB

98%of International Politics studentssay the course is intellectuallystimulating, according to the 2011 National Student Survey

57%International Politics undergraduates at City are from outside the UK

The information in this leaflet is correct at the time of going to press. The University reserves the right, arising from unforeseen events or circumstances beyond ourcontrol, to add or remove courses and to make changes in regulations, syllabuses, course options and modules, fees etc without prior notice. Fees quoted are for one year only. Complaints concerning the accuracy of information provided by the University in this leaflet and in related course brochures should be made to theAcademic Registrar. Any complainants who feel their complaints have not been dealt with satisfactorily may write to the Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency.

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undergraduate courses in international politics · study •format pa ge: 6 ... humanitarian...

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